1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, which prints a face image and private information of an owner on a medium, such as an ID card for personal authentication and passbook with a built-in memory for wireless data reading/writing, and a printing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a known printing apparatus, which prints a face image and private information of an owner on a passbook with an IC to permit wireless data reading and wring data. (For example, refer to Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI No. 2002-2154.) As a passbook printing apparatus of this kind, an apparatus using an intermediate transfer film is known. (For example, refer to Published Japanese Patent No. 3465110 and Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI No. 2003-94701.)
A passbook printing apparatus using an intermediate transfer film has a printer, a transfer unit, and a reader/writer. In this apparatus, the printer prints a face image and character information on an image-receiving layer of the intermediate transfer film, the transfer unit thermally transfers the image-receiving layer of the intermediate transfer film to a printing surface of a passbook, and the reader/writer unit writes necessary data in an IC chip. Namely, this apparatus writes data in the IC chip after printing information on the printing surface of a passbook.
Thus, this apparatus cannot read previously written from the IC chip and reflect it on data to be printed on the printing surface of a passbook.
If the IC chip is found defective when writing data in the IC chip after printing the data on the printing surface, it is unknown whether the IC chip was broken from the beginning or broken in the passbook printing apparatus. In this case, the cause of the defect of the IC chip is unknown, and the responsibility is unclear.
In this case, the passbook is abandoned, and the intermediate transfer film and ink ribbon used for the printing are wasted. Besides, the abandoned passbook includes the printed private information, and must be carefully handled from the viewpoint of protection of private information.
Further, the above passbook printing apparatus cannot use data other than the information previously printed in a passbook, and security information to be printed on a passbook can be created only from visible information.